I enjoy attending 7's Day every year. It's truly a special gathering with it being an unsanctioned event held within New York City celebrating Mazda's pinnacle sports car - the RX7. That said, the popularity of the event has grown it into an insane size with many attendees driving non-rotaries/Mazdas and watering down the main feature of the event - of which I'm also guilty of. Not Another Ricer and Prime partnered a few years ago to create another event of the same style celebrating Honda as a brand. Now in their third year, the event is stronger than ever while still holding strong to a Honda-heavy attendance. I think there were only 4 cars that came through that weren't Hondas and 3 of them were photographers shooting the event.
I linked up with some homies from Boston for the drive down because long drives are a lot more fun with friends in cool cars.
Jorge left his NA1 NSX at home and took his immaculate EG hatch. He's one of those guys that changes around the style and theme on his car and his current look is Spoon heavy with their hood, lip, mirrors brakes, and wing while sitting on Spoon SW388s. The drive down to NYC was a great workout for his ground up build B18C-R swap that was completed earlier this year.
Tony's excellent EK9 was also exciting to watch slip through traffic. The engine bay is filled with Spoon parts while the outside is a mix of Spoon and Mugen. Seeing show winning cars like these being road tripped and driven hard is so exciting in a world of things being treated too preciously.
Berg of Dumoulin Factory took his K swapped, factory Midori Green EK. More on it later! We also drove the first leg with Matias and his DC2 but lost him before these pics were taken.
Somehow, despite him dropping back, Matias beat us to Harlem and got some premium parking. The plan was to skip the first meetup spot and skip straight to this one, but we ran a little late and got there around the same time as everyone else. Matias has a pretty cool rotation of wheels for this track driven Integra, but his latest and my favorites are these WedsSport TC05s in a 5 lug spec.
I think my favorite car of the event might have been this E-AT Civic hatch. This chassis is a huge weakness of mine and a car I dream of building some day. Factory Si exterior over Mugen CF48s make up the bulk of it's styling which, being such a rare sight at an event, is all you really need. I may be mistaken, but I believe that slice of gold poking behind those full-faced Mugens are a set of Mugen calipers too.
People showing up in similar cars try to park up together which creates a cool vibe, like seeing 4 NSXs in an alley.
I think my favorite of the bunch was this NSX-R look NA2 on Regamaster Evo IIs. Spoon's aero mirrors suit the aerodynamic lines of the NA2 perfectly.
The other side of the alley was dedicated to EK hatchbacks; the first three being EK9 Type Rs and the last three all painted Vogue Silver Metallic. Staging like this allows you to see the differences in styling on the same chassis despite none of their styling being particularly loud.
This was an EK that made me do a double take. I had been following it on Instagram for a few years and didn't think it was in the North East. Turns out I was right and he drove it all the way up from Indiana for the event!
If you're wondering where that bumper's from, it's a Mode Parfume item modified to fit and hide the intercooler piping for the turbo that feeds the B series this EK runs. Mode Parfume also makes the splitter, side skirts, and wing, while the mirrors are Spoon and the rear lip is factory EK9. Red Recaro reclinable seats and a Cusco dash dodger bolt in cage peek out through the windows.
This is what peak EK9 styling is in my opinion. There may be more exciting styles out there, but this is what it always comes back to when you think of a classically cool EK9 - zenki Type R aero, a Spoon wing (or EK9 wing, but this one is Spoon), Spoon mirrors, and heavily dropped, yet still functional, over some fat tires. It brings a strong nostalgia for those classic EK race machines we watched videos of that made us love the chassis in the first place.
Tucked behind the Vogue Silver Metallic party was this Flamenco Black EK9 Type Rx; a special model Type R with some premium factory add-ons. This one has been further enhanced with some digging into the rare OEM accessories catalogues, a Mugen lip, and some silver Mugen MF10s.
I think the CL7/9 and FD2/FA5 deserve a spot in the "golden era." They're the most true to form of any modern Honda and I feel they fit in well.
It was really hard to leave this alley. Cool stuff kept appearing behind me!
Berg's EK was tucked away against a cool backdrop so I took advantage and snapped a bunch of pics. I don't know what it is that draws me so much to his car, but there's a character to it that I love. It's a factory Midori Green Civic CX powered by a K20Z1 engine and transmission with a zenki EK9 exterior treatment. 16x8/16x7 staggered Advan RGs and color matched Spoon brakes help the car stop and go controlled through an interior that's missing just the right amount of it's factory parts to keep it lightened but livable.
You can never lose with a Champ White DC2 Integra Type R wearing full Mugen!
But what's more classic; Championship White or Pheonix yellow? Mugen MF7s or MF10s? Truthfully, there's no wrong answer.
A legitimate FD2 Type R is not something you'd expect to see in Harlem but that's the magic of these events! What may be one of Honda's most attractive cars in factory spec needs little to be cool. This one is running Spoon mirrors, Mugen's lip, brakes, and Mugen Recaro seats sat on bronze CE28s.
Very spicy FK8! Varis's Arising II aero adorns the outside while extensive alcantara covers the interior. The driver's seat is an ASM/Recaro RS-G fixed back and the passenger seat is a matching ASM/Recaro SR-F reclinable framed by a paint matched half cage. The red/white/black color matching throughout was perfectly executed.
This ever-evolving EK4 hatch repping SSB is now sporting a hatch-mounted GT wing which could only look good when the car is this aggressive.
Another unexpected import - a CL7 Accord Euro R on fat TE37s.
Speaking of TE37s, I have long said New Yorkers have a special obsession with them, and that theory is only made stronger by this scooter rocking up with a tiny TE rear. I think the OG bronze reminds them of Timbs or something.
It's kind of crazy seeing what is essentially an EK race car slipping through the back streets of Harlem.
That said, it is a race car with true show car presentation! This is a level of style and execution that's missing in the east coast's time attack community. It's cool to see a car that sees regular competition still running a B18C when K series are so much cheaper these days and would look just as at home in any car show as it would at any track.
I feel like more love needs to be paid to the Civic Shuttle. They have such a unique shape. This one looked like a nice cruiser lowered over two piece Work Meister S1s.
Crisp S2000 running a Spoon S-Tai front bumper and front fenders with a pair of ASM rear flares housing TE37 Sagas.
Black on black causes a lot of division but I think the sinister look on this S2000 makes a case for it. I'm also not a huge fan of CarShopGLOW's tail lights for the S2K but I love them here as they keep the exterior monotone outside of the Spoon calipers and Volk stickers on the TE37s.
If you've ever wondered what rare accessories you can get for an EK sedan, you can find them on this one. This is Miami beach as a Civic.
A blue so deep you could swim in it accented with yellow Recaro SR3 Wildcats was an exciting look. The fab work surrounding the K swap was impressive enough to justify leaving your house with no hood.
I mentioned there were a few non-Hondas in attendance but if your E90 M3 is this nice, you're welcome to stop by.
Milano red is a rare color amongst EM1s which is a shame because it might be the best. An EK coupe on Sprint Hart CPRs was one of the first Hondas I remember truly captivating me in person so that's a combination that'll always be close to my heart.
Green's making a comeback but we need to leave forrest greens alone and get into warmer shades. This shade over the mismatched black TE37s and SW388s complemented each other well. Magical Racing mirrors, what I believe is a Mugen lip, and an Ings+1 Z-Power wing make a cool aero package on this functional build.
Part of me wishes the EP3 chassis got more love, but I'm also glad they're unpopular because it gives me hope for buying an EP3 Type R when they're legal. Type R aero, a Shift Sports hood, and Spoon styling makes for a good looking rendition of the EP3's round styling.
If you can only hit one spot during this event, Harlem might be the best one. It is an absolute nightmare to navigate once it starts filling up, but the backdrops are unbeatable.
After Harlem I put the camera down and just chilled for the rest of the event at the last stop. I enjoy covering these events, but it's even more important to just marinate in the moment to fully digest just how crazy it is to be amongst all these cars. Gotta stop and look around, ya know?
Full album/Hi-res is posted in the hyperlink below. I skipped Wekfest East coverage to edit and post this first so that's coming next along with some LA events so stay tuned!
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